From the House of Mars Everyday I go out into the world to work or play and every night I come home to the House of Mars to make sense of it all

Archive for the ‘Trump Tower’ Tag

My father used to chide me for having to get the last word all the time. To which I’d reply “No, I don’t.” Well this time I think I’m getting the first word in, or at least I believe I am, since I haven’t heard it discussed on TV nor read it in the paper. The word is branding and it’s my opinion on why Donald J. Trump is running for president.He wants to brand the presidency, put his name on it.

Trump wine, Trump steaks, Trump University. Like a dog who lifts his leg to mark everything in sight, the man has an egotistical compulsion to put his name on everything he sees. During the course of the primaries, it was brought to the attention of the press that while he really does own Trump Tower and the failing Trump casinos, many of the other enterprises merely paid him to use his name – a win/win situation for all involved, except the innocent people who spent their money on any of his brands.

While he has managed to muster enough votes to become the Republican candidate, he has also garnered criticism for not having a plan. This ties in with my branding idea. He has no plan because he doesn’t need one. If he gets in, he intends to leave running the government up to other people, his board members, so to speak.

I came upon an article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine a few weeks back, a very long one, and as I made my way through it, I thought the author, Mark Leibovich was going to touch upon the branding concept. But the nearest he came, was mentioning at one point that”Trump has outsourced a great deal of the nitty-gritty of an enormous general election campaign” to the Republican National Committee. And a little further on, he cited Trump’s “willingness to outsource the conservative ‘idea’ architecture to Paul Ryan and like-minded Republicans.”

Then at the Democratic Convention last Wednesday night when President Obama declared “The Donald is not an ideas man,” he came close, but no cigar. And I held my breath on Thursday because Hilary came closest, when in the middle of her acceptance speech she assured us that “The family I came from did not put our name on buildings.” But again, nope, no B word.

Although Mr Leibovich may never have used the word, branding in his article, the picture accompanying it is worth a thousand words.

I was in the city Saturday to have lunch with my oldest friend J.J. Let me explain – She’s not my most elderly friend, but the one I’ve had the longest. We met when I was in 3rd grade and she in 2nd, in the school lunch room Being a busy body, I noticed she was having trouble getting the noodles out of the chicken noodle soup her mom had poured into a thermos bottle. I moved over, and helped her. Having met at lunch, we still keep our friendship going, meeting from time to time to share this meal. And Saturday we were meeting at a restaurant on the Upper West Side.

Although we were both born and raised on Manhattan, neither one of us still lives there. I was taking the train into the city and she was driving from NJ. Since I arrived at Grand Central Station with lots of time to spare, and it was a 3 S days (superb, summer, & sunny) I considered walking over to the West Side instead of taking the subway. The decision was made when my cell phone rang. It was J.J. She was stuck in traffic on the Jersey Turnpike. I had plenty of time to dilly dally.

I walked up to Fifth avenue and ay yi yi.

Oh yes, it’s tourist season.

But I plunged in, and went with the flow. Until I heard two gems that brought me to a halt – both from the mouths of visitors from overseas.

It was all I could do to suppress the urge to say NO. St Patrick’s!!!!!!!!

I mean even if she was expecting to see the postcard perfect St Patrick’s,

And thrown off by its present appearance as it undergoes restoration

Give me a break. How much bigger could the letters be?

Gem #2

Location – Still on Fifth Avenue – a few blocks north, at 56th Street.

Speaker – another woman – possibly from a Mid-Eastern country, speaking in an excited tone to her husband . Tramp Tower! Tramp Tower. In her defense, this was most likely just a matter of her accent, but still I had to smile. For you non-New Yorkers? Ever watch Celebrity Apprentice ? Recognize the building?

No? Then in the words of The Donald – “You’re fired!”

These were all, as the young folks would text, LOL moments, at the expense of tourists. But as I headed west on 57th St. I recalled J.J’s words when she’d call to tell me she’d be late. I was dismayed to realize her years in New Jersey were weighing heavy on her.

Jersey people always supplement their location with their exit on the NJ Turnpike

Or the Garden State Parkway

My cousin lives in Hazlet, but just in case you’re not sure, he’ll supplement it with Exit 117. When I used to summer at the Jersey Shore, if you asked me where our group rental was, I’d say Manasquan (period). But if you’d asked one of my Jersey house-mates, they’d have said Manasquan, exit 98.

And so when Jackie explained “I’m still at Exit 11” I had not a clue and had to ask . Where is that”

Just on case you’’re on the Turnpike and looking for Woodbridge NJ. It’s Exit 11.

Meta

I am trying to make sense of a world that changes daily. Blackberries,I-phones, I-pads, Bluetooths. No, blueteeth, that sounds better. And there's the rub, you see? For me, it's the words, not the things. Words are to describe moments of our lives, and that's it. That's what I'm all about. Unplugging and taking my time to experience everyday life so I can put it to words